GameSpy's SonicStorm writes the following:

"Voodoo Extreme has a new poll up this morning asking it's readers which game released this year they think sports the best graphics. Return to Castle Wolfenstein is up there, against 19 other contenders. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of console games thrown into the mix, which in my opinion isn't fair as we all know that the power of consoles today is far superior to that of even the best PC's. Anywho, get on over there and vote for Wolfenstein! "

So does anyone agree with this fella that "the power of consoles today is far superior to that of even the best PC's"?!?!

I dont know about all that, give it a few months and they always seem to release some kind of new video card, drivers, and you are set. You have a pc running with a gigahertz processor and an insane amount of ram and a great videocard and are good to go. Consoles are fun but more than likely you cannot upgrade, you have to go through the 5 year cycle until you can get the next gen console. With Pcs you can upgrade gradually. That sounds expensive, but i prefer pc gaming. Look how long it took for Half Life to get to a console and i was looking forward to it on the DC.

I personally think this guy is nuts!!

I'm really getting tired of spending $40-$50 for a PC game optimized for someone elses rig and then I need to download patches for month's myself.

true very true, i guess thats the major thing pc gamers deal with. I guess that is one of the reasons Half-Life has lasted so long, along with the Mods for it

but in the context of this guy's statement he is talking about graphics. Voodoo extreme evidently has a new poll going on and a lot of the games voted for are console games. So this dude SonicStorm, comes out and says that the consoles are far superior to even the best PC's??? This guy is on crack!!

I like console games because I at least know that they will run on the selected console. Stupid crappy computer ....

Uh... hmmm, he's full of it. Besides, he picked a game that was being worked on ages ago. Let him take next generation games like Doom III and Unreal 2, then he'll be the first to cry and whine about how his console doesn't have the power to play those games at their full capacity.

Who gives a crap either way? Graphics mean nothing, gameplay is the only thing that matters. If a games not fun to play, good graphics can't help. Good graphics just add a little to a game, they don't make a game good or bad. The only people I know that go on and on about graphics are my computer geek friends that are always bragging about their new vid cards, and the resolution of their games. A true hardcore gamer only cares about gameplay, as they play games for enjoyment, not to brag to their friends about what their system can do.

While I agree that gameplay plays an integral part of a videogame, I also believe that graphics are an important aspect as well. Now, I'm not the type of player to dismiss a game solely based on graphics alone, but you have to admit that graphics can be important. After all, what you see on the screen is the world that you're playing in, and if that world isn't visually proportionate to the theme, story, and gameplay of a videogame, then it does indeed detract from the experience. For example, the "simple" graphics in Tetris are just fine because the game itself is simple in concept, so the graphics for it are sufficient. But for a game as "complex" as say, MGS2, more intricate and lush 3D graphics are desirable not only to make all of the nifty little gameplay innovations possible, but also to immerse the player into that world as well. Would MGS2 be as immersive if it had stick-figure-like graphics? It could still possibly remain a fun and immersive game, but perhaps not as much as if it had the bar-raising graphics that it has today.

P.C. is always 2 steps ahead of the console along the lines of graphics.. Compare Open Gl to when PSX came out. thats what was going on.


P.C is much better graphics wise then any system

I repeat, the whole discussion was a poll done by voodooextreme to vote which game has the best GRAPHICS. Nothing to do with gameplay, load times, patches or anything else just the GRAPHICS! and that's when mr. Moron piped off this ridiculous statement, "the power of consoles today is far superior to that of even the best PC's".

One word, WHATEVER!!

Err, hate to break it to our intrepid pollster quoted above, but I have most current-generation consoles in addition to a recently upgraded PC. And the consoles are, as can be expected by what amounts to a cheap computer (especially in the case of the XBox) sold slightly under cost, the less powerful of the two. I mean, jeez, my video card costs more than most modern console platforms.

Really, if it wasn't for the "free" anti-aliasing they get from the television set, platforms wouldn't even be in the running.

Consoles are far superior in terms of the overall quality of the software available, but not in graphics.

Graphics take a back seat to gameplay, which is the reason I only play games on consoles. That and the fact I don't like FPS.

Just a question. Aren't a majority of games that are available for consoles also available for PC? Can the same be said for PC games on console? I always thought that yes to #1 and no to #2 were the answers. Is this not true?

We need one of those Nick Bakai tales of the tape.

PC vs Console

1. Graphics.

PC- Being able to individual dropletts of blood on a highly detailed wall at 1024 x 760 resolution.

Console - "So do you really think s-video will make me able to see the color of Marios shorts?"

Advantage PC

2. Gameplay

PC - "Ok F9 signals my wingman, F8 tells them to flee, F1 cycles my laser configurations, and Esc ends the game after I am blown to hell because I was trying to read the keyboard"

Console - "Eh I don't need to read the manual, I will figure it out as I play"

Advantage Console

3. Games

PC- NHL 2002, Half-Life, and minesweeper...oooooooooh

Console - NHl 2002, Half-Life, and the Olsen Twins Create-A-Date....oooooooooh

Advantage........Push

Well there you go, a dramatic 1-1 tie.....

Not really. Unless you count emulation. I mean most sports games make it, and some of the big games, i.e. Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, get ported a year or more after they debut on consoles. The same for PC games, many come out a good bit later on consoles, i.e. Diablo, Starcraft, Baldur's Gate etc.

I've always looked at it this way, if you like FPS's, Strategy games, and Online games you should go with a PC and just pick up the other stuff later when it gets ported, though you'll still miss some great console games, if you like other genre's than those listed above.

Other than those three genre's, consoles are as good, and usually superior, to pc's in the remaining genre's, especially platform games and fighters.

I hate strategy and online games, and barely like FPS's so I don't bother with PC games. I love platformers, fighting games, sports games, etc. and IMO consoles are far superior to PC's in terms of gameplay in these genre's and pretty much every genre besides the 3 aforementioned ones that PC's dominate.

Some of the big games of the Holidays are Gran Turismo 3, Metal Gear Solid 2, Halo, Super Smash Brothers Melee, and even Final Fantasy X looks to make it before the new year.

The PC has nothing that can compare to the quality of those titles. As mentioned the PC is strong in terms of Strategy, FPS, and online stuff. However, that is a very small part of the overall gaming world and the PC is way behind the consoles in game quality and depth.

Graphically the PC is superior and if you like the titles available its great for gaming, however, it will probably never be able to compete with console gaming.

Much lower priced consoles that last 4-5 years, software that is always compatible, a greater selection of software, and the ease of using a console will always leave it on top.

HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW!!!

Thanks - I needed that.

PC games are always way ahead in graphics. But sadly, sometimes that's all some PC games have. What do you expect when PC's have video cards that cost about the same as a console? But many games on consoles have good graphic design that it may look better than PC games. I haven't played a racing game on the PC that looks as good as Gran Turismo 3. It's not that the PC isn't capable, there just aren't the developers with the right design. It's obvious that the PC can go way higher in resolution than what is limited to the consoles at 640x480 (except with the xbox now that can go high definition). But even with higher resolutions sharper lines, not many games can compare to some console games in design.

Spoken like a true PC gamer.

Well said darkside. That was exactly what I was getting at. PC's have a huge advantage in FPS's, Strategy Games, and online stuff, but consoles are far superior in terms of gameplay, and numbers/percentage of quality games, in pretty much every other genre. I'm sure some PC guy will start spouting off about emulation later though, but I've never seen an emulated game that worked as well as the normal, and legal, console version. The resolution is usually better (big deal, who cares) but the game is usually choppy and the control usually sucks. Obviously I'm talking about emulation for newer systems (psx, N64), but even the NES and SNES emulators are far from perfect and no where near as good as just buying the system and the game.

So with Emulation being shoddy, and consoles being superior in all the genres I like to play, I stay away from PC's

If you care about resolution, and/or love FPS's, Strategy games, and Online games and can deal with emulators, then PC's are right for you. It just depends on what features you care about and what games you like to play.

agree with you 100%. It depends on what you like. can you really play gran turismo properly on a pc? something is off and unenjoyable IMO playing racing or platforming games on a pc
i dunno maybe its the lack of sitting on the floor 4ft away from a 32 in screen lookin up with a crink in my neck with a gamepad in hands. for my occasional fragfest, i have a pc. for everything else im on the floor in front of my tv